Biblioyraphical Notice. 363 



bizarre Cristellarians succeed the various Nodosarians of the fore- 

 going plate ; and, beside a very doubtful Foraminifer (fig. 10) named 

 jRosalina pohjgona, there are several specimens of Wehbina (figs. 15, 

 17, 18, 19) in their charactenstic variable forms of growth; also 

 what seems to bo a small rough riacoimUna (fig. ] 6, named Webhina 

 scorpionis, D'Orb.) ; the Involutiiue above mentioned ; and, lastly, a 

 curious spiral organism, referred to Crlstellaria, but having much 

 the look of a Sertularian germ -sac. 



Without further criticism on these most acceptable results of M. 

 Terquem's enthusiastic industry, whose motto "in tenui labor" well 

 indicates his precision and perseverance, we proceed to the next of 

 his valuable memoirs that we have at hand, trusting to enhance the 

 value of his work by pointing out what seems to be a discrepancy 

 here and there with the notious of other rhizopodists, and thus pro- 

 ducing a uniformity whereby the whole may be worked together 

 for tlie good of palasontology. 



The first Memoir on the Foraminifera of the Middle Lias of the 

 Department of the Moselle was published in the Mem. Acad. Imp. 

 Metz, annee 1857-58. The series reached to the Sixth Memoir; but 

 they have not come to hand. 



II. Deuxieme Serie. Premier Memoire sur les Foraminifires da 

 Systhne oolitliique. Elude dii Fidler's-Earthe de la Moselle. Par 

 M. 0. Terquem, «&c. Metz, 1867. 



In 1867, M. Terquem treated of the Foraminifera of the Oolitic 

 rocks, particularly the " FuUer's-Earthe " of the Moselle ; and of these 

 he first described a host of very similar and indubitably related forms 

 under the general term " -Marginulina.^' This generic name he 

 adopted with caution, and gave reasons for his plan of arrangement 

 in his " Critical Review of some Genera," at pages 40-58, wherein 

 he shows why he considers it best to merge the broad flat Vaginu- 

 linrp, (Oitharince) with the long Plamdarioi under Marginulina. 

 Eight ■|)lates, of thirty figures each, besides edge and end views of 

 these Vaginuline Margimdino'., do not fail to give us an insight into 

 the enormous prolificness of the Foraminifera and their endless ver- 

 satility of growth (modified in every individual by every passing 

 condition of life), into the richness of the Oolitic fauna in varieties 

 of the great Nodosarina genus, and into the extent and energy of 

 MM. Terquem and Piette's labours in both field and cabinet. How 

 individually diffei'ent, and yet strikingly alike, these 240 specimens 

 really are, with continuous passage -forms among them, can be seen 

 at a glance ; and their division by M. Terquem into two sections, 

 five divisions, two subdivisions, and thirty-two " species "' (one 

 of which has a whole plate in its illustration) has required his 

 greatest patience and acumen. It would certainly appear easy, to 

 English rhizopodists at least, to group the majority under half a 

 dozen well-known accepted names, beginning with Vaginulina harpa 

 and ending with Dentalina communis ; but, as an example of the 

 difficulty of arranging a large and woU-preserved series of Forami- 



27* 



